Car-door



11s. DOWNI'NG.

CAR DOOR. APPLICATlONFILED JULY 10,4919.

Patented 12, 1921 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

-I. S. DOWNING.

l .CAR DOOR.v APPLICATION FILED lJULY I0, 1919. 1 ,374,4194; l Patented'lApr.

1 fm1/Emme 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 :Til

I I I l IL Il 5 QAM, N M j IIIUII N1. .III'h I u IINIAIIIHI. I n IHIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIMH@ I I w .Q .u Q gli QS Q Q,

riem# Be it known that LIRA S.

v citizen of the United States, residing at UNITED stares IRA s. DOWNING, or INDIANAPoLrs, INDIANA,.AssIGNOR To CAMEL COMPANY, A

, Y CORPORATION or MAINE.

To @ZZ whom it may concern: DOWNING, a

Indianapolis, in the county ofMarion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Doors, of which the following 'is a specification.

The invention relates -to cai doors and more particularly to freight and grain car doors and has for itsprincipal'objects; the

' provision 'of a car door that is strong, durableand inexpensive; the provision of a car door that may be required without necessitating its removal from the cai' sliouldany of its slats become broken or worn'out; the provision of a car door that may conveniently be provided with an opening at any desired location for the'purpose of ventila-v tion; the provision of acardoor 'thatrnay be easily and quickly converted'into a'grain door'without'necessitating a special cary construction, theprovision of a car door wherebyl grain or other products of like nature maybe loaded through an opening in the door which may afterward be closed with little difficulty, and such otherl objects as may hereinafter appear. Certain embodiments Vof my invention fare shown in the accompanying drawings, 'wherein-f y Figure 1 is an elevation of the inside face of the lcar door. 'Fig y'2 isa side elevation of the door shown in position ona-car, the car portionfbeing sectioned. Fig. 3 is a transverse section` ofthe door and a portion of a car taken on the" line Ill-1H of Fig.

2. Fig. 4 is a section. through the frame portion of the door on the line IV--I-V of Fig..1. Fig. 5 is a'section through the frame portion of the door on the line V-V of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 isasection of the top of elevation of a car.showing-thezA preferred form of door inf closed .position on-.a car. Fig. 10 is an inside face view of a modified Aform of car door'. Figs.` 11 and 12-are bot- GAR-Doon. l

an inside face view of another modification of a door. Figs. 14 and l15 areside and top end elevations respectivelyof the door shown in Fig. 13, and Fig. 16jis a section on the' line XVI-XVI of Fig. 13.

Referring to Figs. l, 2 and 3 of the draw# ings, the Vdoor comprises a marginal frame' made up of four malleable iron channel shaped sections, c'. e. a bottom' section' 1, side sections 2 and 3 and va'to'p section 11. The ends of the sections are mitered and l l I i i i are Joined together by means of` diagonally disposed braceplates 5 which extend fromV the corners kto a common central plateV 6.

The plates 5 are securely rivetedto the sections at the corners-therebyy holding'the sections ltogether and the other'en'ds of `the Y plates 5 are securely riveted tothe central which are riveted to the side Y`frame sections Y 2 and 3.

rlheinside face oftheframe sections is..vv

depressed at 9, Figs. -1 and 3,5and the thickness of the plates 'and 7 is such that all brace plates are flush',A withthe inside Vface of the door frame sections.

diagonallybracing them results in avery i A rigid structure that cannot be distorted even by abnormally rough service.

The frame sections l, 2, 3;.and 4, beingf channel shaped providev a recess or channel having the Opening along the inner edge .of the frame sections. The purposeV of the channel, or recess-is `to ysupport a plurality 0f either wood or vmetal slats whichgare 1 passed into the channeled door frame through-'an opening 12, Fig.y 2," provided near the top of the outer edge of the frame section 3. The slats are insertedv through the opening 12, one at a time, and allowedv` to slide t0 the bottom of the frame,y the first one resting in the recess of the bottom section 1 while the remainder-rest on one another, until the framel is completely filled with slats.-V The'ends of the slats are `rethe bottom it is cutj or sawed so that it may be removed and the slats above let down. A newv slat may then be inserted through. the opening 12 nearY the top of the frame.

VVhereventilation of the car is desired the top slat may be removed and a slat or two moved upward, leaving a Ventilating space such asat 13, Fig. 1. The slat 11a is then supported by means of the filler blocks 14, Figs. l, 2 and 5. These blocks are provided With a screw 15, the head of `which is adapted to slip through the key hole slot 16, and be retainediby the narrow portion orf'the slot. By arranging a plurality of key hole slots,filler blocks 14 may be placed at any desired position andas many'ventilation spaces provided as is considered neces-V sar 1 'lyhe opening 12 is placed on the edge of the door adapted to be engaged by the'door stop 17 Figs. 3 and 9, when the door is inV closed position, asin Fig. 9. This arrange- Vment, which closes the opening 12 when the door is closed, prevents the removal of slatswhen the door is closed which is a very desirable feature. ,ll/hen the' doory is open there is sufficient clearance space to permit vof the removal or replacing of slats without the least inconvenience.

, When it is desired to load grain into a car through the door, a slat is removed near the top of thedoor to permit the insertion-of the grain chute.v At` such time. the door is in closed position and ordinarily the slat lremoved could notybe replaced when the car was filled on account of the door stop covering the opening .12. To providefor this contingency, the door stop is made in two pieces, (seev lifig. 9), thel top section 18 being detachable and is removed while the car is being filled with grain. When the car has been filled the slat which had been removed to permit of the insertion of the grain chute is replaced and vthe stop sectionv 18 then Vbolted and locked in place by any suitable means.

In order that the door may be used to hold grain without the use .of the usual grain door, the metal frame sections .1, 2 and 3 are strips 20 have been positioned binding plates 22 are screwed to the floor and car door posts to retain the packingistrips. Thus it will be seen that no grain can leak out between the car door and the car.

' Figs. 7 and 8 showV modified forms of Y frame sections with differentshaped slots for the y'binding strips, wherein-Fig. 7 shows a bottom section Y1 of the modified form ofdoor, and Fig. 8 shows a modified form of the side section 3. Section 1 is provided with an undercut ridge 23 adapted tofbe engaged by a triangularfshaped packing strip 24 which is screwed or nailed to the car floor. The side frame section 3 shown in Fig. 8 of such modified form of door isvprovided with an undercut ver-- tical groove 25, yand the car door post is provided with an undercut verticalv groove 26. Short pieces of packing strip 27 are then inserted near the top of the door and slid to thefloor, the pieces being inserted until the-packing isV the desired elevation. Both methods of packing the. door are very simple and effective. Y

Referring to Figs. 10, 11 and'12, a modif fied form of ,door is shown, wherein the slats are karranged vertically instead of .hori-.

zontally, in which case the opening 28, pro# vided for the insertionand the removal of slats, is placed in the bottom frame member at one end to the corner of the frame and at the other end to the center of the cross plate 35. The constructionv is veryrigid and durable.

The horizontal slats are inserted i through the opening -36 in the upper end of,

the outside edge ofthe side sections.L

Where the horizontal slats are used it is desirable to shiplap the slats in a manner to shed water readily, various form of lap ping being shown in Figs` 4, 6 and 16. Y l

I claim: y 1. A sliding car door comprising an open frame, opposing slideways in said frame, a

slot in one vof said slideways, opening substantially at rightangles thereinto, and a plurality of slats adapted to be vsuccessively passed endwise through said slot into the frame and then movedl in opposing slideways out of allnement with the slot, the ends of the slats fitting the slideways whereby the slats are held within the frame. Y

2. A carV door comprisin nels at the inner edges of t e frame, a plurality of slats slidably mountedin the channels, slat spacing members adapted to fit into the channels, and means in the channels for supporting the spacing members, said spacmg members serving to separate the a frame, chanslats to provide an opening vthrough ,thef

door.

3. The combination with a slidin door having slats removable throng an openingV in the vertical edge of the fname, of

oar Y a detachable door stop projecting from the side of the car and secured thereto adapted to cover the opening in the frame when the door is in closed position.

4. A car door comprising a frame made up vof sections of channel shaped iron, the channels opening inwardly toward the center of the frame, stitfening members permanentl)7 securing the frame sectionsV together, and counter' sunk so that their outer face is flush with the face of the frame, and a plurality of slats slida-bly mounted in the frame adapted to t the channels of the frame whereby they are retained Within the frame.

5. A sliding car door comprising a pair of frame members grooved to form slideways, a pair 'of end members terminally connecting said frame members to form a rigid frame, one of said grooved frame members being provided with a slot opening substantion in said opening against said door-way frame, and comprising a pair of arallel frame members grooved to form sli eways, a pairY of end members connecting the ends.

frame and terminally closing said slideways,

one of said frame members having a relatively short portion thereof formed witha slot opening substantially at right angles into one of the slideways, and a series of slats having their ends positioned in said slideways and their body portions disposed intermediate the end members, said slats constructed and arranged to be successively passed endwise through the slot arid then moved relatively of the door frame for positioning in the slidevifys7 Substantially as described. y Y

In testimony whereof I have hereunto si ed m name.

gn y Y' I. S. DOWNING.

35 i of said frame members to form a rigid door Y Correcton'n letters Patent No. 1,374,494.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,374,494, granted April 12',

1921, upon the application of Ira S. Downing, of ndianapolis, Indiana, for an improvement in Car-Doors, an error appears in the printed speeiioation requiring Correction es follows: Page 1, line 13, for the Word required read repaired;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein .that

the seme may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofi-ice.

Al D., 1921.

T. E. ROBERTSQN,

Signed and sealed this 17th day of May,

[SEAL] Commissioner of Patents. 

